Jazz bits

West Orange-based tenor saxophonist Mike Karn is yet another of the ace jazz musicians who reside in the Garden State. A devoted disciple of such foremost jazz tenormen as John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, Karn -- as heard in person or on his top-flight 2000 Criss Cross CD, "In Focus" -- can deliver via beguiling compositions and arrangements of standards and jazz tunes, and with meaty, alluring improvisations. He is also a solid, in-demand acoustic bassist.

Working on tenor and joined by three of his favorite cohorts -- pianist Jeb Patton, bassist Paul Gill, and drummer Pete Van Nostrand, who are aces all -- Karn lays out his considerable wares Friday and Saturday, 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m., at Cecil's Jazz Club, 364 Valley Rd., West Orange. $15 music charge, one drink minimum. Call (973) 736-4800 or visit cecilsjazzclub.com.

Benefit for New Orleans' school

Trombonist Wycliffe Gordon boasts a warm, sometimes raspy sound and offers hearty, swinging improvisations in any style from early jazz to post-bebop. He's worked with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis, and has long been a leader whose latest CD is 2008's "You and I" (Blues Back). Gordon leads his ensemble Saturday28, 2 p.m., at the Princeton Regional Schools Performing Arts Center, located at the rear of Princeton High School, corner of Walnut Lane and Franklin Avenue, Princeton.

The concert, part of the Princeton community's celebration of Black History Month, will benefit Carver High School, located in New Orleans' Ninth Ward, which is slowly rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. The concert also spotlights the John Witherspoon Ensemble and the Princeton High School Studio Band. $10-$20. Call (609) 806-4300 or visit prspac.org.